Steamers and Waikato battle for Chiefs Country Cup

The Steamers in action against Otago last Sunday. Photo: Rosalie Liddle Crawford/SunLive.

This week’s Mitre 10 Cup round will see the continuation of provincial rivalry within the Chiefs region, when the Bay of Plenty Steamers take on current holders Waikato to attempt to reclaim the Chiefs Country Cup.

Waikato successfully claimed the Chiefs Country Cup in September last year, after beating the trophy’s inaugural holders, the Bay of Plenty Steamers 54-21.

The four Chiefs Rugby Club provincial unions include the Bay of Plenty, Counties Manukau, Taranaki and Waikato. The teams will not only be playing for competition points when they face each other in the Mitre 10 and Farah Palmer Cups but will also seek to claim the Chiefs Country Cup.

The Farah Palmer Cup fixture between Waikato and Bay of Plenty Volcanix on September 21 will be the first challenge for the 2019 provincial season. Holders Waikato are the only side to have held the cup following wins over Counties Manukau and Bay of Plenty in the 2018 Farah Palmer Cup season.

Chiefs Rugby Club CEO Michael Collins is excited to see the rivalry between the provincial unions within the Chiefs region.

“As we saw last year the Cup ensured that the rivalries between our four provincial unions was fierce across both the Mitre 10 Cup and Farah Palmer Cup competitions.

“Even after just one round of the 2019 Mitre 10 Cup fans witnessed a great battle between the Taranaki Bulls and Counties Manukau Steelers which featured several Gallagher Chiefs players along with an array of new talent vying for their spot in the 2020 Gallagher Chiefs squad.”

“We expect that on Sunday afternoon the Bay of Plenty Steamers will deliver a strong challenge for the Chiefs Country Cup when they host current holders Waikato at Rotorua International Stadium,” said Collins.

Collins finished urging fans to show their support for their provincial sides.

“We trust fans will continue to enjoy the rivalries our provincial unions share and support them in their defence or challenge for the Chiefs Country Cup this Mitre 10 Cup and Farah Palmer Cup season.”

1 Comment

rugby

Posted on 15-08-2019 13:35 | By dumbkof2

can we please have all future games at baypark. the facilities at the domain ar actrosus. no parking, no shelter, miles from toilets sub standard seating, what seating is there is too far away from the action. this place is totally unsuitable for rugby games